1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to sports and fitness training equipment and, more particularly, to a system and method for training a baseball pitching motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
The motion of throwing a ball is one that must be learned. The motion requires a mixture of strength and technique. Anyone who has raised a child is aware that a “good throw” is the result of hundreds, and perhaps thousands of practice attempts. A baseball pitcher's throwing motion is particularly critical, as it must be fast, accurate, and capable of creating complex spins on the ball.
However, there are few drills to develop a pitcher's throwing motion, outside of the actual act of throwing itself. One well-known practice technique is the so-called towel-drill. The drill requires two participants; the pitcher and a second person. The pitcher uses an approximately 24 inch hand towel, folded in half over the middle finger of the throwing hand, with the ends of the towel extending approximately 12 inches. Beginning with the pitcher at rest in a standard starting pose, the second person faces and stands a distance from the pitcher dependent upon the pitcher's unique throwing style and stride. The second person horizontally extends a glove. The pitcher winds up and delivers a towel-strike to the outstretched glove. The soft glove, and the flexibility inherent in the glove's extension, dissipates the energy, preventing damage to the pitcher's arm. The finishing stance of the pitcher, the amount of energy delivered to the glove, and the placement of the towel-strike on the glove can all be used as indicators of the throwing motion. This drill can be used to enhance a pitcher's balance, arm strength, and accuracy. However, this drill is labor intensive, requiring two participants to drill a single player. Further, it is preferable that the second person be a pitching coach, to provide useful feedback in response to the towel-strikes. Hence, the pitcher can only practice the drill when a coach is available.
It would be advantageous if a pitcher could practice the towel drill without the necessity of a pitching coach or a second person to hold a glove.
It would be advantageous if a pitcher could practice the towel drill on a target that both dissipated the energy of the towel-strike in a controlled manner and provided useful feedback.